End reinforcement for box-cars.



\ G. S. GOODWIN.

END REINFORCEMENT FOH BOX CARS "APPLICATION men MAR.

Patented 0012.22, 191sv a swans-SHEET i.

K w A l l|||| I ul/Enron G38. GOODWIN.

END REINFORCEMENTFOH BGXCARS-,

APPLICATION men 144mm. 191p. Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I! I III 11/1111 IIIIlIII/un IN I/EN TOR I 4 Arron/Im UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

GEORGE S. GOODWINYOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER MLII'Qhy CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

mm nnmroncnunnr TOR BOX-CABS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

Application filed March 24, 1916. Serial No. 86,402.

of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in End Reinforce-.- ments for ,Box-.Cars,-of which the following 'is a specification.

My invention relates to railway box cars, more particularly cars of wood construction,

and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide certain reinforcing means for strengthening the car against cargo thrusts and other shocks and impacts from within and from without to which the end wall of a railway car is liable when the car is in service.

A further object of the rigidify the end framin invention is to of the car as against weaving and ot or like stresses which tend to rack and ultimately destroy the superstructure and roof of a box car.

A further object is to provide an end re inforcement for a box car of wood construction which can be readily applied in repairing old cars as well as in the construction of new cars.

A further objectis to rovide reinforcing means of the general 0 aracter above described which will give a maximum of strengthand rigidity with a minimum increase of weight.

A further object is to arrange vertical, or. substantially vertical, reinforcing members on the outside of the car which will be so disposed as not to violate the provision of the Interstate Commerce Commission with reference to end ladder clearance; the placing of such members on the outside of. the car having the advantage that the effective inside length a of a car is not thereby diminished.;

With the above stated objects in view,

my invention consists in the arrangements,

ces to be hereinafter constructions and devi described and claimed.

r The invention is illustrated, in a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying drawin?i whereingure 1 s an end elevation of the superstructure of a railway box car of standard wood construction.

Fig. 2 is a' top lan view of the end of the car showing t e roof boards removed plates, 15 the outer en t and certain parts of the framing and sheathin in section.

, ig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 1. v I

Fig. 4; is a view, in erspective, of the inner bracing member arming, preferably, a part of the reinforcing structure of my 1nvention.

'Fig. 5 is a view, in elevation, showing a modified construction, and

Figs. 6 and 7 are sectional views on'lines- M and 77, respectively, of Fig. 5.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings, 1Q indicates the end sill at. one end of the car, 11 the end plate, 12, 12 the corner posts, 13, 13 the usual end posts intermediate the corner osts, 141., 14 the side d sheathing, and 16 the inner end sheathing or lining, the sheath ings, in the construction shown, being both of wood, although that'is not essential.

In order to strengthen the end wall and rigidify the end of the superstructure of thecaras a whole, vertical or substantially vertical reinforcing members 17 are arranged on the outside of the car parallel with the end posts 13 and bolted thereto by bolts 18, these bolts serving also to secure the inner lining 16 in place against the end posts 13 and the usual end girths 19 of the end framing. I have shown a car of standard woodconstruction. It will be obvious,

" however, that the reinforcing structure of my invention might be used in connection with'cars not constructed precisely as shown.

These reinforcing members are angular the outside, the reinforcement, as descrl ed, does notnecessitate anyshortening of the car body.

The lower ends of the reinforcing members 1 7 are preferably anchored to the framing of the car by means of the truss rods, 20 which extend through the under frame ordinarily from end to end of the car. upper extremities of the reinforcing members are secured to the end plate 11 by bolts The-- 21. These same bolts may be employed for attaching to the end plate of the car a hori: zontally arched steel reinforcement 22 preferably consisting of a single rolled steel element angular in cross section, the middle portion 23 of which lies fiatwise against the end late and the extremities or corner brace mem ers 24 of which are bent so as to ex tend diagonally across the "corners of the car to the side plates 14 of the car to which they are-attached by'bolts 25. The structure is preferably further rigidified and strengthened by truss rods 25 which extend across the upper part of the car from one side plate to the other. Thevertical reinforcing members 17, the horizontally disposed arched brace 22, structurally united to the upper ends of the reinforcing members, and t e truss-rods 20 which anchor the lower ends of the reinforcing members of the car framing together constitute a reinforcing structure of a unitary character which, besides giving the end of the car (greater capacity for resisting cargo thrusts an like shocks and impacts, serves also to greatly stiffen and rigidify the end of the car superstructure as a whole more particularly against the racking or weaving strains to which railway box cars are subject because of the various swinging or swaying movements of the cars, for e xample, in rounding curves or resulting from the inequalities of the track. The extremities of the reinforcing member 22' are attached to the side plates 14: close to one of the roof carlines 14-, which latter forms a ,strut or compression member between the side plates, preventing the side plates from being drawn in by the reinforcing member 22 when the cargo exerts an outward thrust against the end of the car. This reinforcing structure may be readily applied to old cars as well as new ones.

placed without disturbing the-other parts of the'car structure. I

In some cars the truss rods are not in line with the end posts' For example, it-hapz' ens not infrequently that the truss rods are nearer the sides of the car than the end posts.

To meet this contingency my invention may be modified as indicated in Figs. 5 to'7, inclusive. In the car shown in these figures the truss rods 26 are nearer the sides of the car than the end posts 27 The reinforcing members 23 are anchored to the carat their lower ends by the truss rods-26.- However,-

instead of being vertical they slant somewhat toward each other so that they cross the end posts 27 as shown. The upper ends of the reinforcing members may be anchored to the car by means of an arched brace 29 of the same sort as the brace 22 shown in.

i the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusivc. The reinforcing members are prefer-- ably bolted or otherwise secured to the girth If any of the- 'parts are injured, they may be easily re members 30 of the end posts 27 and to the diagonal braces 31. In order to reuentthe lower ends of the end posts kicked out by a car 0 thrust against the lower part of the en I provide a casting 32 which also serves as a buffer casting. This casting is bolted to the end sill 33 and bears against the flanges 34 of reinforcing members 28. The truss rods 26 extend through the casting as well as to the reinforcing members 28 and end sill.

I do not claim herein specifically the con struction shown in Figs. 5 to 7, inclusive, as this structure; is disclosed and claimed in a copending application filed March 27 1918, Serial No. 224,951.

While I have described my. invention in 'certainpreferred embodiments, further modifications might be made without dearture from the principles of the invention.

herefore I do' not wish to be understood as limiting the invention to the precise constructions,'devices and arrangements shown except as the claims may be so limited.

I claim:

1. In a railway car, the combination with the framing of the car comprising side plates and end posts, of metal reinforcing members on the outside of the end wall of the car secured to said end aosts, and a metal bracing structure within t e car secured to said rein forcing members and comprising diagonally extending members attached to the side plates at points remote from the corners of the car. 1

2. Ina railway car, the combination with the framing of the car comprising side plates and end posts, of metal reinforcing members on the outside of the end wall of the car secured to said end posts, and an integral metal brace secured to said reinforcing members at points near the middle of said brace, with its extremities bent so as to extend diagonally to the side plates of the car and anchored at the ends to said side plates.

- 3. Ina railway car, the combination with the framing of-the car comprising side plates and end posts, of metal reinforcing memhere on the outside of the end wall of the car'se'c'ured to said and posts, a metal brac-' ing structure secured to said reinforcing members and comprising members extending diagonally from the end posts to the side ,plates of the car-and anchored at their extremities to said side plates, and truss rods anchori the lower ends of said reinforc-. ing mem ers to the underframe of the car which extend longitudinally of the under frame.

4:. In a railway car, the combination with the framing of the car comprising side plates and end posts, of metal reinforcing members on the outside of the end wall of the car secured to said end posts, a metal bracing structure secured t said reinforcing memrom being and an on plate,

hers and comprising members extending diagonally from the end posts to the side plates of the car and anchored at their extremities to said side plates, and atransvcrse truss rod extending from side plate to side plate adjacent the ends of said brace.

5. In a railway car, the combination with the f 'aming of the car eomprisingside plates and end posts, of metal reinforcing members angular in cross section on the outside of the end wall of the car secured to said end posts, and a metal bracing structure angular in cross section secured to said reinforcing members at points near the middle of said l:u'acc,"w1th its extremities extending and at-' tached to the side plates.

6. In a railway car, the comblnatlon with the framing of the car comprising side plates and end posts, of metal reinforcmg members angular in cross section on the outside of the end wall ofthe car secured to said end posts, and an integral metal'brace angular in cross section secured to said reinforcing members at points near the middleof said brace, with its extremities bent so as to extend diagonally to the side plates of the car and anchored to said side plates.

7. In a railway ear, the combination with the framing of the car comprising side plates and end posts, of metal reinforcing members on the outside of the end wallof the car seen red tosaid end posts, a metal brace secured to said reinforcingi) members at points near the middle of said race, with "its extremities extending and attached to the side plates, and truss rods extending longitudinally of the car which anchor the lower ends of said reinforcing members to the under frame of the car.

8. In arailway car, the combination with the framin I of the car comprising side plates of a metal bracing structure, the middle portion of which lies against the end plate and is anchoredthereto, said structure being posed portions which extend-from the end plate to the side plates and are securedat their extremities to said side plates.

9; A reinforcing structure for the end wall of a box car, comprising a pair of substanti all; upright end reinforcing members on the outside of the wall of the car, and-a sub stantially horizontal arched bracing structurewithin the car attached at the middle to the reinforcing members and at its extremities to the opposite sides of the car framing at points remote from the corners of the car.

10; A reinforcing structure for the end wall of a box car, comprising pair of substantially upright end reinforcing-members on the outside of the wall of the car, a substantially liorizmital arched bracing structure within the car attached at the middle to the npri ht reinforcing members and at its extremitms to the opposite sides of the way box car,

provided with ai'lgularly discar framing at points remote from the corfor anchoring.

ners of the car, and truss rods the lower oxide of said. reinforcing members to the under tranile of the can '11. In a railway'car, the conilbiirttion with the framing and end wall of the car, comprising substantially vertical end osts, of relnforcing meml'iers conslstmg o, Z-bars arral'lgedon. the outside of the car wallsecured to said end posts, truss rods which anchor the lower ends of the reinforcing men'ibers to the under frame of the car, and a horizontal, arched brace secured to the upper ends of the reinforcing members and to the side members of the car framing. 1

12. In a railway car. the combinationwith the end and side walls of thc canof a metal reinforcement for the same comprising a pair of substantially upright beams on the outside of the end Wall, means for securing the lower ends of said beams to the under frame of the car and a metal bracing struca reinforcing and bracing member, the middle portion of which. lies parallel to and is secured to the upper portion of the end wall of the can, the ends of which extend diagonally across the car and are attached to the side plates. 14. The'cmnbination. with the end wall sheathing,;end plate and side plates of a railof ITBlIlfOIIClIlgIHGflIlS for the end plate comprising diagonal. brace members extending across the corners of the car and rigidly anchored to the end plate near the middle thereof and. side plates at v oints remote from the corners of the car.

15. The combination:

with the end wall and side walls of a railway-bemoan of substantlally upright reinforcing members for forcing structure which is attached to the upper part of the end wall with its extremities anchored to the side plates at points remote from said end wall, and a carline interposed between the side plates at points adjacent the extremities-of saidreinforcing structure so as to act as a compression member against the tends-neg; of the side plates to be drawn to exerted against the inside of the end wall. 17. In combination in a car having side and end plates, a rigid frame spanning from side plate to' side plate and comprising diag-v in gather when an. outward stress ise , onal members connecting the side plates to theend plate, said'members being rigidly secured to the end plate and having their ends secured to the side plates.

-18. In a car end construction, in combination with side plates, end plate, end sill and and posts, a pair of end braces, each of which is secured to said end plate, sill and post, and a rigid frame secured races and to said'side plates and endplate for maintaining them in rectangular almement. .N

19. In combination with the end and side Copies 0! this patehtma yttbe obtained for five cents eachfby dressing the Washington, D. 0.

,under frame of the car,

to said end walls of a railway box car, of substantially' upright metal reinforcing members on the outside of said end walls, means for anchoring the lower ends of said members to the and reinforcing means within the car comprising members extending diagonally across the corners of the car rigidly connecting the upper ends of said upright reinforcing members to the side walls of the car at points remote from the corners of the car.

GEORGE s. ooonwm.

"commissioner of Patents, 

